Fluid consuming battery with fluid regulating system

Abstract

The invention is an electrochemical battery cell with a fluid consuming electrode, such as an oxygen reduction electrode, and a fluid regulating system. The fluid regulating system includes a valve for adjusting the rate of passage of the fluid to the fluid consuming electrode. It is operated by an actuator that responds (e.g., by deforming) to changes in a potential applied across the actuator to open or close the valve. The applied potential can be the cell potential or an adjusted potential. The potential applied across the actuator can vary according to the need for more or less fluid in the fluid consuming electrode. The valve can be contained within the cell housing, for example between the fluid consuming electrode and one or more fluid entry ports in the cell housing, or it can be located outside the cell housing.

1 . A battery comprising a fluid regulating system and at least one fluid consuming cell; the cell comprising a first fluid consuming electrode, a second electrode, and a cell housing comprising one or more fluid entry ports for the passage of a fluid into the cell; wherein the fluid regulating system comprises: 
 at least one valve for adjusting the rate of passage of the fluid into the fluid consuming electrode; and    at least one actuator for operating the valve, wherein the at least one actuator comprises a component that is capable of a nonuniform dimensional change due to a change in an electrical charge distribution within the component when an electrical potential applied across the component changes.    
   
   
       2 . The battery defined in  claim 1 , wherein the at least one actuator is a member selected from the group consisting of capacitive actuators, faradaic actuators, and electrostatic actuators.  
   
   
       3 . The battery defined in  claim 2 , wherein the at least one actuator is a capacitive actuator.  
   
   
       4 . The battery defined in  claim 2 , wherein the at least one actuator is a faradaic actuator.  
   
   
       5 . The battery defined in  claim 1 , wherein the fluid regulating system further comprises a controller for controlling the potential applied across the actuator component.  
   
   
       6 . The battery defined in  claim 1 , wherein the battery comprises two or more fluid consuming cells.  
   
   
       7 . The battery defined in  claim 6 , wherein each valve and each actuator is associated with only one of the cells.  
   
   
       8 . The battery defined in  claim 7 , wherein the fluid regulating system further comprises at least one controller for controlling the potentials applied across the actuator components.  
   
   
       9 . The battery defined in  claim 7 , wherein each controller is associated with only one of the cells.  
   
   
       10 . The battery defined in  claim 7 , wherein the potential applied across the each actuator component is equal to that cell's potential.  
   
   
       11 . The battery defined in  claim 7 , wherein a source of power for operating each valve is the cell within which that valve is associated.  
   
   
       12 . A battery comprising a fluid regulating system and at least one fluid consuming cell; the cell comprises a first fluid consuming electrode, a second electrode, and a cell housing comprising one or more fluid entry ports for the passage of a fluid into the cell; and the fluid regulating system comprises at least one valve for adjusting the rate of passage of the fluid into the fluid consuming electrode and at least one actuator for operating the at least one valve; wherein: 
 the at least one actuator comprises a component that is capable of a nonuniform dimensional change due to a change in an electrical charge distribution within the component when an electrical potential applied across the component changes;    the at least one valve comprises a first and a second plate, each plate having opposing first and a second major surfaces, the plates disposed adjacent each other with the first major surface of the first plate facing the first major surface of the second plate;    the valve has a closed position and an open position; and    the first and second valve plates are held against each other by magnetic force when the valve is in at least the closed position.    
   
   
       13 . The battery defined in  claim 12 , wherein at least one of the first and second plates is slidably movable by the actuator between the closed and open positions, each of the first and second plates has at least a first fluid passageway through the plate between the opposing major surfaces, in the closed valve position the first fluid passageway in the first plate is misaligned with the first fluid passageway in the second plate such that no open fluid passageway is formed through the first and second plates between the second major surfaces of the plates by the first fluid passageways in the plates, and in the open valve position the first fluid passageway in the first plate is at least partially aligned with the first fluid passageway in the second plate such that an open passageway is formed through the first and second plates between the second major surfaces of the plates by the first fluid passageways in the plates.  
   
   
       14 . The battery defined in  claim 13 , wherein at least one of the first and second valve plates comprises two or more fluid passageways through the plate between its first and second major surfaces.  
   
   
       15 . The battery defined in  claim 14 , wherein the two or more fluid passageways through the at least one of the first and second valve plates are all at least partially aligned with a passageway in the other of the first and second valve plates when the valve is in an open position.  
   
   
       16 . The battery defined in  claim 13 , wherein the moveable plate is linearly slidable.  
   
   
       17 . The battery defined in  claim 13 , wherein the moveable plate is slidable by rotation.  
   
   
       18 . The battery defined in  claim 12 , wherein the open passageway through the first and second valve plates has a size that is proportional to the cell potential in at least a preselected cell potential range.  
   
   
       19 . The battery defined in  claim 12 , wherein the battery comprises two or more cells.  
   
   
       20 . The battery defined in  claim 19 , wherein more than one of the cells is associated with a single valve and actuator.  
   
   
       21 . The battery defined in  claim 19 , wherein each of the valves and actuators is associated with only one of the cells.  
   
   
       22 . The battery defined in  claim 19 , wherein at least one of the cell housings comprises one of the first and second valve plates.  
   
   
       23 . The battery defined in  claim 19 , wherein at least one of the valves and at least one of the actuators are disposed within at least one of the cell housings.  
   
   
       24 . The battery defined in  claim 12 , wherein a liquid is disposed between the first and second plates.  
   
   
       25 . The battery defined in  claim 24 , wherein the liquid has a vapor pressure from 10 −2  to 10 −2  torrs.  
   
   
       26 . The battery defined in  claim 25 , wherein the liquid comprises a silicon-based material.